In the Rearview and Fast Forward--The D50 After Dark Team- Looking Back and Forward

In the Rearview and Full-Speed Ahead

0:00 The D50 After Dark podcast team—host Mickey Bennett, producer Tommy Kenyon, and associate producers Jerry Baskett and Helen Williams—gather to reflect on their inaugural year. The team discusses memorable moments, lessons learned, and ideas for the show going forward.
In sharing their standout experiences, Tommy and Helen both highlight the interview with Aletta Rochat from South Africa, 2:47 which caused scheduling challenges but showed the team's ability to pivot. 5:08 Jerry finds the “Meet the Team” series particularly engaging, appreciating the behind-the-scenes insights. 6:20 Mickey recalls the first episode on proxy voting, which exposed the team’s learning curve and led to improvements in their production process.
The team emphasizes the importance of preparation, with varying approaches. 10:02 Helen admits that she initially over-prepared, creating detailed scripts, but she learned to offer full research that allowed for organic conversation. 13:16 In Jerry’s opinion, thorough research preparation is important for handling unexpected interview directions. 8:57 Tommy focuses on the technical aspects, recalling how he learned to map sound and video equipment efficiently for smoother production.
17:14 Tommy challenges Mickey to elicit 30- to 60-second sound bites from guests for promotional use, incorporating storytelling techniques. Mickey responds that there are ways he can use to entice listeners and balance closed and open-ended questions.
23:00 Looking ahead to their second season, the team is ambitious with a goal to produce an episode every week. There is excitement about expanding their reach by interviewing more District 50 leaders and Toastmasters, collaborating with clubs to showcase meetings and demo meetings, and shooting behind-the-scenes episodes to show the podcast production process. 8:10, 22:41 With all the big plans, they are happy to welcome a new team member Manuel Mesa, who is quietly in command of the equipment during this recap episode.
25:52 To wrap up, Tommy shares a call to action for listeners to get involved, whether as guests, sponsors, or providing feedback. The team encourages audience engagement. Listeners can like, follow and share the podcast on all platforms and leave comments on Spotify. Listeners can email interest in being a guest, ideas, feedback, and comments to [email protected]. The D50 After Dark team wants to hear from their listeners.
Overall, the D50 After Dark team demonstrates enthusiasm for their podcast’s growth, a commitment to improvement, and a strong appreciation for the Toastmasters community they serve. They look forward to bringing more diverse and engaging content to their listeners in the upcoming season.

Email: [email protected]